By Appointment Only is an independent horror short created by John Faust.
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By Appointment Only has no frills, simple sets, excellent production and a killer story…how do you think it turned out?
Written by BHM Editor Don Sumner
August 29, 2007
Release: February 9, 2007
Written and Directed by: John Faust
Starring:
Matt Ryan as Lyle
Belen Greene as Jane
Nancy Sinclair as Lillian
Annya Broderick as Girlfriend
In case you haven’t noticed by now, I love low-budget Independent Horror. I love the risk of it all – a filmmaker gathers together a tiny amount of money and, armed with nothing but big dreams and passion, creates a…well, many times, piece of crap. I think of watching Indy Horror the same way that a fairy princess must think of kissing toads…one day the heroic prince will come. There are LOTS of toads.
But then one day a true prince happens along and makes it all worth it.
By Appointment Only is a tale about Lyle (Matt Ryan), a poor and troubled lad living somewhere out in the middle of the sticks, about a half mile from nowhere. Lyle hates his life and wants out, and not even his sexy girlfriend (Annya Broderick) can talk him out of his plans to blow town and start fresh somewhere else.
One day Jane (Belen Greene) a “city girl” with an over-heated BMW happens through town, also searching for a better life, and she thinks she may find it in a house for sale up on Highway 40. Isn’t it funny how both of them think that the grass will be greener on the other’s side of the fence?
A strange and creepy waitress at the local diner talks Lyle into giving Jane a ride to the house on Highway 40, as the steam pouring from under the hood of the BMW threatens to make Jane miss her appointment with the real estate agent. Lucky for Jane…
What follows is a sick thrill-ride through small-town weirdness, incest, magic and murder. Beginning to end the entire story is told in 20 minutes.
By Appointment Only benefits from economies exercised by creator John Faust; there is nothing wasted and nothing extra in terms of sets, actors, props or effects. The elements that are necessary to convincingly and believably tell the story are present in the film, no more and no less. Simplicity rules the day.
Exhaustive time, skill and effort are expended, however, in the film’s production. The cinematography (James West) and editing (Howard Heard) in particular are absolutely flawless. These are two areas where many low-budget Independent Horror offerings fall apart, but not in the case of By Appointment Only.
There is a big white elephant in the room regarding this film, however…and I’m going to go ahead and say it no matter who faints. The chance that anyone will have the opportunity to see this wonderful short lies directly between slim and none. At strategic points throughout the movie we are treated to Tammy Wynette warbling “Stand by Your Man”…wonderful song, but did anyone think about how much the rights to that song will cost so that the film could be sold? I guarantee it is many times the total budget of By Appointment Only.
I do hope that I am wrong about the copyright issue and that By Appointment Only can indeed end up as part of a brilliant horror compilation viewed by millions. In any case, if this simple short horror film is any indication of what we have to look forward to from John Faust, you will be seeing his work soon enough. Questions or comments about By Appointment Only? Contact us!
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